Monday, December 07, 2009

Love All Year Round

I'm not against the religious meaning of December 25 (whether or not I subscibe to it), but I definitely detest the pressure and the guilt retailers put on the masses.

Think about this. Would Ma and Pa Ingalls have driven their wagon all the way to the Walmart in Mankato to buy Cheap Chinese Crap—using their Chase Bank Platinum Card at 19.8% (since Charles never had two nickels to rub together) —for Mary, Half-Pint, and Carrie? Nope. The girls got home-made and hand-made gifts, gifts made with love, and they were thrilled because they didn't watch the in-your-face advertising on TV.

Our friend Stinkypaw has the right idea with her Blogger gift exchange. Fourteen of her blog friends (she calls them Blends) are exchanging small, home-made gifts. Leave it to a lady named Stinky to come up with such a nice idea.

"It's not that I hate gifts, baking, entertaining, etc. It's just that I'd rather spread it out throughout the year. The giant flashing Santa on my neighbor's roof - that I could live without." [Italics mine]

Sorry, Fay. Just throw a brick or something through my bedroom window and I'll have Martha get out of bed, go out to the garage, and turn Santa off for you.

By the way. Our house didn't win the holiday lighting contest again this year.

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Health-wise, I'm feeling a bit better after spending most of the weekend in bed. I'm still taking it very slow, though, and I'll be around to your blogs tomorrow.

18 comments:

So glad you are feeling better. As you know the trick is to take it slow.As for Christmas they have never been as magical to me as they were as a student nurse when we had no off duty and only the sick children mattered. Ours will be quiet and peaceful and as devoid of commercialism as possible with time to remember old friends and our lost loved ones. And some chocolate and a glass or two.

Meg, my mother-in-law tells about getting only an orange in her stocking for Christmas (she's now 92) and what riches that was to her. We used to get a large Jaffa orange in the toe of our stockings, a rare treat in the depths of winter in Canada. Now it's Terry's Chocolate oranges because oranges can be here in a two days and are available all year long. How the world changes!

Generally Christmas makes me want to blow up a Walmart, but it's been a lot more enjoyable since I have unapologetically decided that I am no longer buying into (pun only partially intended) overspending on crap nobody needs idea.

The year before last, my husband -- for the very first time -- went all out and helped me make Christmas special, buying nice, carefully chosen gifts, splurging on food, etc. We had an awful Christmas. Last year, we had a Japanese peace lily for a tree, strings of dried orange slices on red and green ribbon, and a big bowl of popcorn. We bought each other cheap-o presents -- little things we knew everyone would like. I made a big bowl of popcorn, we all huddled around the propane stove in our cold house, and we played cards together and had bacon sandwiches (huge treat in a Muslim country). It was FANTASTIC. I swear to God, the Ingalls family couldn't have done better.